Forehand attack stroke off a half long push

What options do you have to attack a push which is just close to bouncing a 2nd time on the table but doesn't by an inch or so?

Topspin seems harder because of the risk to hit the table.

Hi Marcus,

These balls are difficult because it's hard to judge off your opponent's bat whether the ball will in fact come long or whether it will bounce twice. And the later you leave it to decide what to do the more rushed you are and the more likely you'll make a mistake. You need to watch the ball really closely and with experience you'll get better at judging the length of these balls.

Ideally if the ball does only bounce once on the table, you will play a forehand topspin. As you mention you really don't want to hit the table when playing this shot. I've done it and still have small scars on my fingers. :)

The trick with this shot is to play a slower topspin with a more vertical swing. Really brush the ball and generate lots of topspin. As you are playing a slower topspin you need to think about your placement. Try to put it to a position that your opponent will not like. This will depend on your opponent and where they are currently positioned.

In a game, when your opponent pushes a ball like this and you aren't confident it will only bounce once, you are better off trying to take the ball early off the bounce and attempting to push the ball back either short or aggressively long with a lot of backspin to the corners or your opponent's middle.

Let me know if this helps you out.